The new MediaShout?

iWorship is available for Macs. It looks really good. I am going to check it out. If you use it let me know how it works.

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Action

Started working hard on an exciting product this week. I am actually going to be using my degree a little bit. Will be doing some producing, directing, writing, shooting, editing and everything else that goes a long with making videos. There will be more info up soon, but just know you will want to check it out once we launch in January.
If you know of a good place to get video equipment, preferably used, please let me know. We need some more cameras and some lighting and microphones. Thanks.

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Cold War Kids

One of my wife's friends who was in our wedding is engaged to a guy named Brent. He is one of the band managers for the Cold War Kids. I bought there CD and have really enjoyed it. I am not sure exactly who they sound like. Even if you ask them they will say they are not sure. They have some stuff on iTunes. Check them out and let me know what you think.

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love this

I know a lot of you have seen this, but it is so funny. I had to put it on my blog again. Enjoy!
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A sad day

Saddleback Church is losing one of its greatest leaders. Shaun Blakeney, the high school pastor, is moving, with his family, to Florida to be a student ministries pastor. He was one of the pastors who did our wedding. My wife and I are going to miss his family dearly. They were our Monday night hangout. They are great friends. I know God has awesome plans for them in Florida. It will be really tough not being able to hang out with them. As for who will be the next high school pastor at Saddleback, who knows. I have my guesses. The obvious one would be Doug Fields to come back and do it. Being that he doesn't speak as much in big church anymore because Rick is not traveling as much would make Doug a good bet. Also, because obviously, he was the high school pastor before. My other guess is a guy named Josh Griffin. Most people know him through his blog and his involvement with PDYM. Those are my only 2 inside guesses. For all I know they may be looking outside the church. Only time will tell, but odds are it will be one of these 2 guys. Shaun we will miss you.

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It's coming...

...January 2008. We are in the process of putting together some pretty sweet stuff for young leaders and youth pastors. Who is the we I talk about. If I told you you would figure it out. It launches in January. Hopefully we will have a promo video for it by Christmas. If you are my friend or an acquaintance through youth ministry... well we will tell you more later.

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HULU

Just got my invite to HULU. Checking it out right now. So far it is pretty great.

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My Youtube channel

I meant to put this up a while ago. I have a few videos on my youtube channel and hope to be adding more soon. Thanks for viewing.

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Gingerbread House...

... more like Gingerbread Mansion. My wife, Mariah, and I went to the Ritz Carlton last night. It's on the beach, so we went to see the giant waves due to the storm and to just hangout in the lobby. It is really nice there. Anyways, every year they build a ginormous gingerbread house. It is made with real ingredients. All sugar and edible products.

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Super Busy Week

elementary basketball tryouts and practices started this week. I am helping out with tryouts for elementary boys and will be the assistant coach for elementary girls. We have the first 16 pages of the yearbook due. We are almost done, but I am feeling a little pressure. It is a busy week, but aren't they all.

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I work with junior highers

Admit it, you know it's funny. you can buy it on amazon. Look how expensive it is.

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Use your ingredients

This video was done for the high school ministry at Saddleback Church. This was done during the 40 days of purpose. The guy in the video is Shaun Blakeney. He is the High School pastor at Saddleback. He is an amazing leader and an excellent communicator. Also, one of my best friends. The video was shot and edited by one of my students at the school I am a chaplain at. You can check out some of his other projects here.



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Bless her heart

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Tis the season

Why is it always so hectic between Thanksgiving and Christmas? I am pretty certain we bring it upon ourselves. What are some things you are doing in the next month to slow down?

how to be innovative

I found this article and it is really good. It's the 7 habits of highly innovative people. Here is a glimpse.
3. Take Risks, Make Mistakes - I believe that part of the reason why we create self-imposed inhibition is due to our fear of failure. Expect that some ideas will fail in the process of learning. Build prototypes often, test them out on people, gather feedback, and make incremental changes. Rather than treating the mistakes as failures, think of them as experiments. “Experiment is the expected failure to deliberately learn something.” (Scott Berkun). Instead of punishing yourself for the failures, accept them, then take your newfound knowledge and put it towards finding the best solution. Live up to your goal of producing the best result, but understand you might hit roadblocks along the way.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
–Thomas A. Edison
You can check out the rest of the article here.

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Open Source

With the technology we have today and how easily accessible it is. Open source is the new thing. Why wouldn't you as a church give away the things you have created to help churches who do not have the resources to make their own all the time. There are a lot of churches giving away their stuff. Lifechurch.tv was definitely on the front end of this. They have all kinds of free resources and are working on ways to give away a lot of their other resources. There is a new website World Wide Open that looks pretty awesome. Check it out. You might start turning more towards Open Source. I mean it makes sense that if we are the Church then we should be sharing what we are producing. I am a huge proponent of giving away your resources and this looks like a good step in that direction.

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home sweet home

Mariah was discharged from the hospital. She has some ulcers and will be on some medication for about a month. She is so happy to be out of the hospital.

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so you counted, now what

I read a lot of blogs. Maybe too many. I got in trouble for reading too many blogs at my last job.. Blogs weren't looked upon fondly, but I digress. Some blogs I read mention how many hands were counted for salvation. Now I agree this is a great number, but I want to see follow up on these hands or how this is done. I know churches are different. But I want to know what churches do to follow up. I know a lot of churches give out bibles and some other materials. Who at your church does this follow up? And how is it done? And what is the the churches next step to help these new believers out?

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what the ulcer

It's been a long 24 hours. My wife had to go to the emergency room last night because of stomach pains. Come to find out she has a couple of ulcers in her tummy. A little medicine will take care of it. But they couldn't figure out what it was. so it was a long night and day today. Thank goodness it is easily fixable. She still has a little pain. Some prayer would be great. Thanks so much.

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Everything is Spiritual

Bits and Peaces

We made this video over a year ago when we were teaching on the P.E.A.C.E. plan. Hince the play on the word "Pieces".

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Hershey's and Church

So when I woke up this morning the very first thought that hit me was wow church should be a lot like the Hershey's Bar, simple. Now I really have no idea why I thought that or if it even makes sense. The way I see it. You don't see much marketing for Hershey's Bars. Should there be marketing for churches? Or, the Hershey's Bar is simple. There is not a lot to it. It's just chocolate. Do we as youth ministries rely on to many programs or events just to keep students busy? why do we do all these events and rely so much on programming? I have heard a couple of churches say we need to get a way from programming and be way more relational. They say this, but don't do it. Do we not do it because we are afraid of losing students. Maybe you need to lose students to make your ministry more healthy. Is the risk worth the reward?
So, instead of being a chocolate bar filled with all kinds of other candy that actually in some cases make chocolate bars worse, we need to be like the original Hershey's bar. Plain and simple. Like I said, who knows what my thought meant, but I am going to think about this some more. Let me know what you think. Am I crazy or does it make a little sense.

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Welcome to the blog world

3 of my very good friends who are youth pastors have started blogging. Jon Goolsby is the JH pastor at 2nd Baptist Church in Houston,TX. Another one is Terrace Clayton he is the JH pastor at River Pointe Church in Houston, TX. And finally, Adam Young. He is the youth pastor at Lifechurch.tv's Stillwater Campus. All three of these youth pastor's are unbelievable guys and unbelievable leaders. I know I will be checking out there blogs quite often. Check them out. Love you guys. Keep up the good work. Miss you all.

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Worship House Media

Worship House Media is a great website to find some resources you can use in your ministry. They already have some holiday stuff available. They are definitely ahead of the game. Another cool thing about this site is that you can submit media products you have created. hey also have a free section. Check em out if you are in need of some resources.

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Media and Technology

In this day and age media and new technology can be used in ways we have never thought of to reach our youth. What are some ways you are using Facebook and Myspace. Are there any other social networking sites your students might be using? What is youth ministry going to look like 5 years from now?

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I need a niche

I have over 100 posts. but I am so random. So I am going to make my new niche ministry and media. Mainly youth ministry. This is going to include technology also. So however this happens, hopefully each post will have to do with youth ministry and tech/media.

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Mariner's Church - Irvine, CA

This is our new church home. My wife, Mariah is the small groups coordinator for the junior high ministry their. She loves her job and we love where Mariner's is heading. We have been here since mid August and love it more and more everyday. Mariner's is a Willow Creek Association Church. So it is a little different than the purpose-driven model we are use to. If you are in the SoCal area check it out.

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Saddleback Church - Lake Forest, CA

Where to begin. Saddleback is an amazing church. I first heard about Saddleback while reading "Purpose Driven Church. And learned even more first hand as an intern for 2 years in the junior high ministry under the incredible leadership of Kurt Johnston. 95% of my friends in California work in student ministries there. If I could I would go back again to be an intern just to learn. If you are reading this and looking for an internship I recommend checking theirs out here. If you have any questions about saddleback please ask.

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Granger Community Church - Granger, IN

Granger Community Church is doing some awesome things. They are use a lot of great songs for their messages. You can check them out on their media player. The thing that drew me to them was their creativity when it came to message series. The videos they used, the songs and many other aspects are so great. Right now they are doing a series on parenting. Check it out.

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NewSpring Church - Anderson, South Carolina

This is a church I just started following, but their pastor Perry Noble is an amazing guy. He started the church 8 years ago and its just now starting to really do some amazing things. As I have been checking out churches I have noticed that at about 7 or 8 years churches really find out who they are and what they are about. Another guy who works there is Tony Morgan. Both of these guys are amazing and they have been a huge part of the success at NewSpring. Check em out.

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Mars Hill Bible Church - Grandville, MI

This Mars Hill is amazing. Just by looking at the first picture on their website you can tell they are outward focused. They love to serve and do an amazing job at it. The church will be nine years old in February and run about 14,000. Mars Hill and Lifechurch.tv are different in many regards. Rob believes in the local church and the beauty in it. You won't see Mars Hill launching any campuses anytime soon. I have never been to visit, but it is one place I really want to visit. Check out their website and let me know what you think. Also if you want some more info on Rob and his teachings check out NOOMA.

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Lifechurch.tv

This list is in no particular order, but the first church I would visit would be Lifechurch.tv. Just by looking at their website and all they are doing and offering it is easy to see why. Now I know you don't want to copy churches, but it is definitely wise to take certain aspects. There are a lot of churches who try to be exactly like Lifechurch.tv, but churches need to be their own. One thing I love about Lifechurch.tv is their open source resources. You can check out all of their free stuff here Lifechurch Open. They are about 12 years old and going strong. They are a multisite church using technology in ways that a lot of churches haven't even thought of. Check out their website and let me know what you think. Oh yeah, don't forget to check out You Version. This is something else the developed.

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Church Dream List

If you were planting a church and could only go to 10 churches what would they be? I am going to list mine for the next 10 days. Each day I will show a new church. I will start at 10 and work my way down. So, what 10 churches would you vist across america?

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Fire sucks

I have never seen anything like it. The pic is from Sadleback church on Tuesday around 3:30pm. This fire was about 500 yards from the Oakley headquarters. As you know the fires are still burning. Mariah and I are safe. We are far enough away, but still close enough to have ash fall in our area. Please be praying for everyone in Southern California. It is very dangerous.

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Went to YS yesterday and my head almost exploded

Why did it almost explode you might be asking? I went to a workshop by a guy who use to be in the advertising department for Porsche. He now is a pastor. He was talking about how we always hear you can can change the method, but not the message. He explained to us how this is a lie. If you change the method then you are changing the mesage. It was really interesting, and I am still trying to put it all together. He said he had a rally tough time deciding to podast his messages at his church. He was talking to Rob Bell about this and Rob said that he is having a tough time with his sermon's being podcasted. Rob's are downloaded close to 100,000 times every week. Rob said it's great that people are getting the message, but he believes that it is taking away form the beauty of the local church. I see what he is saying and how this makes sense when you say if you change the method then you are changing the message. I still need to explore this some more, but I really like what he was saying.

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Paid in full

Our house in Oklahoma sold and we no longer have any house payments. what a huge relief. Now we just have rent to pay in Caifornia. Not cheap. Oh well, I know this is where we are suppose to be. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us and keeping up with our lives the last 6 months.

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Confessions of a Pastor

Just started reading this book by Craig Groeschel. I am halfway done and it is an aesome book so far. He writes about a lot of stuff pastors are afraid to tell anyone. He is so honest and open. I reccomend this book to anyone involved in ministry in any capacity. You can get it here.

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I made it, #91

I know what you are saying, "Who cares about post 91?" Well I do. I wanted to celebrate this milestone now so I don't have to celebrate #100. But to check out a great 100th post blog, check out my wife's. She is pretty fantastic.

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Sean Harris

Who is he you might be asking? He just entered the blogosphere yesterday. He has a passion and a heart for ministry. Mainly college mkinistry. Check out his blog here.

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A little nervous...

For two reasons. 1) Oklahoma State plays Texas A&M in College Station. The winner will be the Big 12 south leader. I know it's early in the season, but as an OSU fan it's a big deal. and 2) I am speaking tonight at Mariner's Church in Irvine to the Junior High. It's a new audience and I haven't spoken to a crowd in a few months. I know it will be good. I could use some prayer. Thanks,

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My conclusion

So after looking at my last 2 posts and talking to several people about it. Sure we can take a few things away from these companies, but we should not copy it. We, as a church, can borrow some things, but we need to change them and make them 100 times better. Sure they are doing some great things, but how come the church has gotten lazy and less innovative when it comes to this stuff. I mean, wasn't the printing press invented to produce tons of Bibles. That was one of the great inventions of all time and it was for the Bible. Why aren't we as Christians coming up with more stuff like this. We need to be ahead of the world. Why can't Starbucks or Apple say wow that Church is doing some amazing things we need to do that. Or wow that Chrisitian company is solving a lot of issues we couldn't let's talk to them and learn from the church. So, one of my goals now is to come up with this innovation. What it is? I have no idea. But I would love to come up with something and find the right people to make it happen. Give me a year.

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Starbucks and Apple

Kind of along with what I was talking about yesterday. What are some things we can take from these 2 companies and apply them to church? There are so many. If you read my blog please comment on this question. I want to see some ideas.

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Starbucks and Church

I have seen a lot of people blog on this subject, but I still wanted to throw in my 2 cents. What is it that Starbucks does so well? Well just about everything. Now the question is what can the Church take from Starbucks. I honestly don't drink coffe, but there are a few drinks I will get from there. I also hear a lot of people say they don't even like their coffe, but they love the atmosphere and the environment. I am the same way. I love hanging out there, but am not a fan of spending a lot of money on their drinks, but I do.
Their staff is super friendly.
They know their stuff.
They love being there.
I have visited many churches and it is funny that I can go into a Starbucks and someone genuinely asks me how I am doing. There are churches I have been to where the staff is not genuine in their hellos and there are also times when no one even says hi to you. I know that people aren't perfect and that is why churches aren't perfect.
Starbucks is doing some awesome things. I bet you could get a lot of people to church if church was in Starbucks. I wonder if you can get more people to church if instead of inviting them to church you invite them to coffee. Maybe more churches need to put actual coffee shops in their lobbies. Not just have coffe, but an actual store. I woudl love to see this in more churches. I know some are doing this.
The Church can learn a lot from Starbuck, but hopefully there is a lot Starbucks can learn from the church. I hope this rambling made sense. Let me know your thoughts.

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learn me some photoshop and illustrator

I am trying to learn photoshop and ilustrator. Please let me kow some websites you reccomend for free brushes vectors or just any tips you have. I have learned a few things, but have a long way to go. So any advice right now will help. Thanks.

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Boomer Sooner, more like Bummer Sooner

Maybe next year Stoopsy. I know there is still a lot of football left to play, but todays loss against those terrifying buffaloes of Colorado does not help. The Sooners were up 24-7 at one point, but could not do anything against the Buffaloes after their last touchdown early in the third quarter. Were they lloking ahead to Texas last week? Who knows? By the way, as I am writing this Texas is losing to Kstate going in to the 4th quarter. Maybe both teams were looking ahead to next week. This was just Stoops 4th loss to the Big12 North since he has been there. I wonder if Jenny Carlson will write anything about Sam Bradford being a mommas boy. Proabably not. If she did that she would get fired. Oh well, It looks like it is up to the Trojans and the LSU Tigers to stay strong and undefeated. At least we know it will turn out to be an awesome year of college football.

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You Version has arrived

The digerati team at Lifechurch.tv has just released the beta version of You Version to everyone. Go check it out. Sign up. Start contributing. This tool is not only great for pastors, but I think it can be a great tool for students as well. There is a personal journal and a community page. I also know that they are working on some other things and improving some existing projects. So be on the look out for that. I believe it has to do with Lifechurch.tv Openhttp://www.lifechurch.tv/p/82/Default.aspx there free resource site. Thanks Lifechurch.tv for being awesome.

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Halo 3

What's the big fuss. I am going to go on the record and say I am not a fan. I know a lot of people who are and that is great. I tried to like it. I played for about once a week for a year and go decent at it, but never liked it enough to play it any where else but small group. I sometimes wish I liked it, because a lot of people I know get together and play it. Oh well.

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I need a title

Today I took the first step in writing a book. My dad had this idea for a book. About 100 or so pages. I am trying to make it happen. Writng is a lot harder than I thouht. I spent about 3 hours at Starbucks this morning writing. Not sure how many pages I got, but its a start. My goal is to write for at least an hour a day. If you have any tips please let me know. Thanks.

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Go Pokes

This is my alma mater. Go Cowboys. what a lot of people don't know about the newspaper he is talking about is that it is owned by the Gaylord family. They are huge donors to the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State's rival. So of course the article is going to be anti OSU. I stand behind Gundy 100% although he probably could have handled it a lot better. By the way doesn't Coach Gundy look a lot like my buddy Jason Pogue.



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A great new Blog

I stumbled across this guys blog, Ben Arment. I think it is pretty great. Judge for yourself.

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You Version Beta

It is no longer in its Alpha stages. You Version is now Beta and it should be released in its full version in the next week or two. There is a little bit more you can do in this version, but I can't wait for the full version. Lifechurch.tv has been doing some amazing things, but this is one of the best. The entire world will be using this. check out the website. You will be sold.

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I love Fall

I love fall. It is my favorite season. It is a little different in California. In Oklahoma it gets colder, but in Cali it feels great at night. I love when the highs are in the low 70's and the lows are in the low 50's. If it could be like that all year and I would be happy. So I say let it fall.

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A very long weekend

Being that it was a long weekend for my family and me I will keep this as short as I can. First off My Grandpa passed away on Friday night. My mom's dad. Second, one of my best friends in the world got married on Friday night. I was a groomsman. Third, our house sold and the new buyers had to be in on Sunday. The movers never showed up. We got scammed. We put down a deposit. Luckily we have contacted the credit card company and are not going to be charged. Never use Nationwide Relocation Services. They will screw you. Other than that pretty uneventful. Those of you who have my number can call to hear more.

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The DMV

Division of Motor Vehicles. What a splendid place it is. I spent about 2 hours there today getting a California Driver's License. The best part is thart I had to take a written test. I could miss up to 6. I only missed 3 and that was without studying. The funniest part was that I had 2 questions having to do with ice on the roadway. I have never seen ice on the roadway in Southern California, nor have I ever heard of there being any. Luckily I got those questions right thanks to driving in Oklahoma for almost 10 years and living there for nearly 25. Anyways, I should expect it in the mail in the next 2-3 weeks.

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Really Pink?

This is not at all intended to be a political post by any means, and if it is oh well. Pink, the singer not the color, has a song out that appears do be directed at the President. The lyrics seem pretty harsh. Now, I may not agree with everything that Bush is doing, but he is OUR President. I didn't agree with everything that Clinton did, but I didn't hate him. He was our President. The thing is that no matter who the President is not one person is going to agree with every single thing he or she does. The other thing is that there is nothing you can do about it. Bush is our President until January of '09. Deal with it. There is a lyric that says "Let me tell you about hard work, You don't know nothing about hard work." The funny thing is that Pink apparently knows nothing about hard work. She writes crappy songs and now thinks she is a ballad singer and makes millions. Man, I wish my work was hard like that.

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4 months and counting

Yesterday my beautiful wife and I celebrated our 4 month wedding anniversary. It has been a crazy 4 months. We moved to oklahoma and now we are back in California. I would not trade anything for the experience we have gone through. I am excited to see where the next 50+ years take us. I love you baby.

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I just had to

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You Version Alpha

I just recieved access to Lifechurch.tv's new resource and web 2.0 creation called You Version. I am so pumped and can't wait to check it out.

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Church Resources

I am not 100% sure where I stand on this issue, but I am pretty close to knowing. There are companies and churches out there who give away their stuff for free Creativemyk and Lifechurch.tv Open and there are those who charge Simply Youth Ministry and Highway Video. I feel like technology has made it possible for people to give their resources away. I know that companies are different than churches. If you started a company to sale resources that your company created, then great, but if you are a church I feel like you should be giving away everything you have created. This may sound complicated, but it makes sense to me. Let me know what you think about all of this.

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My new website

So I have built a website on iWeb. John W Snyder It is going to be kind of a resume/goals/fun site. I have always loved sports and sports broadcasting. My new site explains it all on the welcome page. If you have any insite please let me know. I love constructive criticism and any other help. Thanks.

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Really??

I move to California and expect cooler weather. It is hotter here than in Oklahoma. This cannot be possible. I am so ready for October. Maybe by then it will be cooler.

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NBC gets greedy

I was reading Marketwatch and came across this very interesting article. It will be interesting to see if NBC can find someone else to pick them up or if NBC will take a hit.

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Tis the season...

College football season that is. This is the first official weekend of college football. It doesn't get any better than this. I know that a majority of you wil say that you enjoy Pro football better. Odds are if this is you, you are not from the midwest or the south or you did not go to a division 1 college. My Alam Mater, Oklahoma State, kicks off tomorrow night at Georgia at 6:45pm. It will be a tough game. It is on ESPN 2 and I may or may not be able to watch it. We have a volunteer staff retreat with Mariners Church junior high in Palm Springs. It is suppose to be really hot, like 115 degrees hot.

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ubelievable

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fun week

So, I started my new job this week. I had new teacher orientation yesterday, and to be honest it was so different than what I am use to. I have been working in the church for the last 3+ years. School is new to me, but I know it will be fun. My job roles as of now are the K-8th grade Chaplain and elementary/JH yearbook coordinator. School officially starts on September 4th. Please be praying for me.

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Passion or Placement

So which one should churches go by. If a person has a passion for singles, but the executives feel like that person would be a better fit in Jr. High where do they put him or her. I know for a fact that at the church I just left they hired someone to be the 5th and 6th grade director. This person originally stated that they had no desire to hold that position. He actually applied for my position, Jr. High Director, because he has a passion for older students. The execs apparently felt like he would be better fit for the 5th and 6th graders. I am not sure which one is right, but if a person has no desire to lead in a certain position why hire someone to do it. My personal opinion is to put someone in a position they have a passion for. I feel like if you put someone in a position they don't have a passion for then it will just become a job rather than a ministry. I hope this isn't the case there, but I saw it a couple of other times. Let me know your opinion on this matter. Would you rather be placed in a position you have no passion for, but the execs feel you fit, or take a position that you have a passion for.

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a well needed break

I have not worked in a ministry environment for a month until last Sunday when I went to summer camp as a volunteer at Mariner's Church in Irvine. Honestly it felt great. I also have not read any books on ministry. I have stayed caught up on blogs though, read the Bible and prayed. I am ready to get back in the saddle and read a few books. The first one I will be picking up is the The Blogging Church by Brian Bailey and Tery Storch. I am really excited to read this. I would aIso love to have access to the Alpha version of You Version that was developed by Lifechurch.tv. I am also excited to start my job as the k-8th grade Chaplain and Elementary/Jr. High yearbook coordinator at CVCS. I have new teacher orientation on Tuesday. I am looking forward to this.

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Angels 4, Blue Jays 5

Not a great game even though Vlad hit 2 homeruns. But I did have fun with my wife and our friends Jason who is in charge of Discipleship at Saddleback HSM and Allison who is a 2 year intern with HSM. The highlight was when we got on the jumbotron, we were dancing like idiots which always gets you on.

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summer camp part deux

Just returned from my second summer camp of the summer. It was by far the better one. We did a houseboat trip to Lake Shasta in Northern California. It was so laid back and just chill. That is the main word I heard all week from the students. We took 52 6th, 7th and 8th graders. It was so much fun. It is weird being a volunteer in a ministry and not being on staff. It is so great to be at such a healthy church. I know Mariah enjoys it and I am loving it as well. Going to the Angels game tonight. Should be awesome.

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1,400 miles later

We made it to the Golden State. My wife, Mariah, and I drove halfway across the country to get back to where we started. That is why I have not blogged in the last few days. I will be blogging more. She started her job today at Mariner's Church in Irvine as the Junior High Small Geoups Coordinator and I met with the head Chaplain at Capo Valley Christian Schools. I have one more interview on Fiday with the head of schools. I should have a definate answer then. The school is great, and I am super sxcited about the opportunity. I will fill you in on more about this when I find out.

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Tee Times in Tulsa

Today was a great day spent with my brother. We went to tulsa and went to the first round of the PGA championship. I got within 10 ft. of Tiger and about five of John Daly. It was unbelievale. A golf tournament takes a huge amount of planning. It is such a huge production. I wish I could go the next 3 days, but I can't. It was super hot, but super fun. I would love to try to o to some tournaments when we move to Cali. More on both to come.

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Remedy is on its way

The David Crowder Band's new CD Remedy is going to be released on September 25th. I love DCB and I am super excited about this CD. You can pre-order it on their website. As always it should be good.

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Job Update

Like I said in an earlier post, Mariah Got a job as the junior high small groups coordinator at Mariniers Church in Irvine and I have applied to be the K-8th grade chaplain at Capo Valley Christian School. I still have an in person interview on August 17th. It is with the head of schools. Please be praying for this meeting. It would be a great gig and I am really excited just to have the opportunity. Thanks for all the prayers.

SNYDER

Sudoku

I am addicted to it. I worked on 23 puzzles today. I still can't do the hard ones yet, just easy and medium. I thought I would be terrible at them because I am terrible in math, but they really have nothing to do with math. If you haven't tried a puzzle yet you really should.

SNYDER

On the market...

Our house that is. The sign is in the yard and we are waiting for a buyer. If you know of anyone looking for a great house in Moore, OK. Check it out. Of course we would love to sale it soon.

SNYDER

It all makes sense now...

I was reading Sex God by Rob Bell and read this section and what I have been going through in the last few weeks all makes sense now.

Take, for example, a parent who yells at their children and holds them accountable for all sorts of random tasks they were suppose to have known to do and who allows their mood to dictate the mood of the whole house. This kind of parent dominates their family with manipulative behavior and petty punishments that create chaos an insecurity for those around them. This kind of parent is using their strength, but they are actually weak. They do this because in truth, they're broken, confused and insecure. They have no idea what they're doing, as a parent or as a person.

The same is true for managers and bosses and teachers and anyone who uses their position of authority to coerce or manipulate or bully others. They can get people to do what they want, but it's only because of the position they hold. Their authority is rooted in nothing larger or stronger or higher than their rank. And that can be taken away tomorrow. They may appear strong, but they are actually weak.

Maybe this also speaks to some of you. But either way you should go pick up this book today. It is unbelievable.

SNYDER

Who would I be

Thanks to Eric Putman I have some questions to answer.

1. If I could be a famous historical figure I would be Benjamin Franklin. I know he gets a bad rap for some things, but what a great mind he had. I mean bifocals, come on. He was on an episode of The Office. Also, he is the only non-President to be on a bill.

2. If I could be a celebrity I would be Owen Wilson. His movie Bottle Rocket is one of my favorites. If you haven't seen it I suggest you do so soon.

3. If I could be a famous athlete I would be Roger Federer. He is super down to earth and authentic. Every article I have read on him has nothing bad to say. Also, if you write a letter to his parents house asking for an autograph you will get a pic back with his autograph on it. He signs every request.

4. If I could be a famous musician I would be Bono. . I love U2 and I love what he is trying to do in Africa.

5. If I could be a famous Christian Mover and Shaker I would be Craig Groeschel. He is the pastor at Life Church in Edmond, OK. His vision and the innovative ideas his team comes up with are amazing. They are doing some amazing things. Check it out.

That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I now tag my beautiful wife and E Money

Phantom Planet couldn't be more right on

California here we come. It is official we are moving back to California. Mariah landed an awesome job at a Great Church, Mariner's in Irvine, and I am in th interview process at Capo Valley Christian Schools to be the K-8th grade Chaplain. We are beyond excited to move back to the Golden State. I will know more about my job next week. We will be back there by August 15th.

SNYDER

Facebook, there is a craze

Facebook is amazing. If you do not have a facebook profile I suggest you get one. It is so much cleaner than myspace and can actually do a lot more. When it first came out it was for college students. Now it is for everyone. There are a lot of applications for it that you can put on your page. So, after you read this post and get a facebook make sure you add me as one of your friends. I believe Facebook will and can play a huge part in ministry. I am trying to figure out how to incorporate ministry into it. The best thing is that it is getting better and better. Let me know what you think. SNYDER

Some good stuff Saddleback is doing

Saddleback Church has some big plans by 2010. Here is a little bit of what it looks like on Matt McGill's blog It is going to be incredible.

SNYDER

16 questions when searching for a church

I found these questions on David Foster's Blog He is the pastor of The Gathering in Nashville. They are some great questions.

If I were looking for a church to attend in the morning, here is what I’d look for:

When I enter do I hear laughter?
Are people greeting me as a job or a joy?
Does the place look like they were expecting me?
Are people buzzing as they greet each other?
Is there spirited music playing as people gather?
Does the music move me?
Do the people on stage look real and engaged?
Are the announcements short, strategic, and to the point?
Is there a printed outline with Scripture already printed on it?
Does the pastor smile?
Does the message title promise a relevant topic I am interested in?
Does the pastor speak with humility and authority?
Do I feel the presence of God?
Are people listening and engaged?
Is the service no more than 71 minutes?
Does it pass by fast?

SNYDER

We went to the Zoo

It was awesome. here are some pics that I really like. It was really hot at the zoo, there were ostriches (he scared me, he was missing an eye) and a fake Gorilla that we took our picture with.




SNYDER

This is a great quote...

I feel like this quote sums up the ministry world.

"Be the change that you want to see in the world." - Mohandas Gandhi

SNYDER

Just a little fun in Bricktown

I just thought this was funny. Here is the statue of Micky Mantle, he is from Oklahoma.

Here is Micky Mantle stepping on my head.

Some tough questions

This was posted on Craig Groeschel's Blog not too long ago. Over the past few months I have been asking myself these questions and it is really tough. I'm not going to tell you my answers, but ask yourself these questions. WARNING. It might change some things for you.

1. If you weren’t on staff at your church, would you worship there?
2. If you didn’t know ANYTHING about Jesus, what would you know about him after a normal weekend at your church?
3. If you had a loved one who didn’t know Christ, and they had one week left to live, would you take them to your church or another?

SNYDER

College Football 2008

Tonight is the night. This is my favorite game of all time going back to the Sega Genesis with Bill Walsh's college football.

If you remember this game I want your comments on who your favorite team was and players. I really wish I could afford to buy it for the PS3, but it's like 80 bucks. Oh well. Just thought I would share some college football goodness. The season is only like 45 days away.

SNYDER

Blogging from Dashboard.  

I am writing this blog from dashboard on my mac just to see how it works and if it is easier or faster.  I don't prefer it nor do I reccomend using it all the time.

SNYDER

Some good memories

This is a video we did for Wildside. Man I miss those guys. Enjoy!



SNYDER

Going to church on the internet

We just had this discussion in our office this morning. I say you have to meet people where they are at. The internet is the place to be. With Facebook, Myspace and other places like it you have to find a way to reach people over these mediums. A new one is Second Life. I do not know much about it, but I do know that Lifechurch.tv has started a campus in Second Life. I love the idea. People who do not go to church can go now in their home while on the internet. Now I know a lot of people will say, well this isn't church. I kind of agree. I believe church is what happens outside of Sunday morning. Sunday service is an event where, yes, you will get fed. you will get to worship, but it is an event with teaching the Word and worship through music. What you do the rest of the week with your small group, out in the community and with other believers is church. Now, my hope is that these people who are going to church on Second Life will take it further and start doing things outside of second life in their community with other believers. I love the idea and can't wait to see what is next. I believe, as a youth pastor, I have to find ways to meet students where they are at. and the students I know spend a lot of time on the internet. The question now is how do we tap in to this medium and reach students who may or may not come to your weekly experience. How do we get them involved? If you know of a church who is using the internet in a mighty way to reach youth please let me know. I really hope this made sense.

SNYDER

Freedom Rings

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays for many reasons. As a kid we would go to our land in Guthrie, OK and set off fireworks. I haven't set off fireworks in a long time. I have always gone to the 4th of July parade in Edmond, OK when I was in town or not working. Edmond has one of the top 10 4th of July celebrations in the country. But one main reason I love the 4th is the freedom that we were given. What an incredible nation to live in. We can worship whoever we want when ever we want. I think this is one of the major problems with other countries. They tell you who you can worship and can't. I personally choose to worship Jesus Christ. I choose to celebrate the freedom I have in Jesus on the 4th and every other day of the year. What or who are you going to celebrate this year?

SNYDER

iLove the iPhone

I am so excited and sad today. I am so excitied the iPhone comes out. I want one so bad. The reason I am sad is because I can't afford to get one. I am a huge mac fan, and I know the iPhone will be huge. If you would like to doante money to the "iPhone for Snyder fund" please don't hesitate. Just cal me or e-mail me and let me know how much you would like to donate. Thanks.

SNYDER

the commercial that scared my wife and then I find this little gem

This is one reason I love Oklahoma and Jon Stewart. This is hilarious.



SNYDER

The old re-committment box

What is the deal with the re-committment box. I am not a fan of it, especially in youth ministry. If you give a kid a chance to check a re-committment box he will re-committ his life every week. As the church are we not explaining salvation correctly or what it means to re-committ our lives to Christ? Or if we have already committed our lives to Christ do we have to re-committ them. Please help me understand this. Maybe it is just the Bible belt where this occurs. I don't know. Let me know your thoughts on this subject.

SNYDER

Rain, rain and more rain

It has rained here for the last 3 weeks straight. There were 3 days that it did not rain a drop on our house, the other 18 days it did. We have a drainage creek about 25 ft from our fence. One night it was 5 feet from the fence. It has rained so much. And it doesn't look like it is letting up for another 4 or 5 days. Even though we really need it here I have not decided yet if I am tired of it. Ok, see ya.

SNYDER

Another fun Friday

I really don't have a lot to say today. We are doing housework and just hanging out. Friday is my day off. I really want to write a book. I have a good idea for it. I just need to get in the routine of writing for 30 minutes to an hour everyday. I have talked to a couple of people about my idea and they think it could work if present it right. I have always had this desire to write a book whether or not it ever sales. I will let you know how that process is going.

SNYDER

My meeting with Bobby

As promised, here is a little debrief. Bobby's title is Innovation Leader at Lifechurch.tv. Sweet title I know. Other than coming up with ideas and making sure they happen, he also does some other stuff at the church. He is the public relations guy, he approves budget, he helps out with new campus development, and many other things. He loves hi job. He said that anyone can come up with ideas, but there are not a lot of people who make those ideas happen. He tends to be one that makes them happen. We talked about where Lifechurch was headed and some cool things they were doing. My main purpose of going was to talk to him about youth and how he thinks it will look in the future. I wanted to get his opinion because he is not part of the youth team. He had a lot of great points, and recommended some sites to check out. Being the tech guy he is. He thinks that youth ministries should be doing way more online than they are. This is where our youth are. we need to engage students where they are in the internet environment. This means Myspace, Facebook and Youtube. But there is more than just posting on these sites to come to church on this night at this time. we need to find a way to reach the students that won't step foot into a church. We need to give students a way to grow spiritually online. Mom and dad need to be more involved. We have to use the web and more technology anyway we can.
He also broughtup the point that the church is about 2 steps behind the rest of the world. The church use to be at the forefront of technology and reaching as many people as possible. The church needs to come up with more ways of reaching more people. We need to come up with things that the world will want to use. Not vice/versa. If anyone reading this keeps up with what churches are doing. Pay attention to Lifechurch in the coming month. They have some really awesome stuff they are doing.
I hope this makes sense. Here are 2 sites he recommended.
1. ChangeThis
2. Google Reader this is for if you read a lot of blogs. I checked it out today and am still tryiong to figure it out, but it is pretty sweet.
And for you all that read a lot of blogs to learn. One thing he said was to read as many blogs as possible.

SNYDER

Click Comments

So I added this new feature to my blog, ClickComments. If you don't have time to leave an actual comment you can click on one of the icons depending on what my post did for you. It could be interesting. Let me know what you think.

SNYDER

My dream job

Today I am meeting with Bobby Gruenewald from Lifechurch.tv about what he does. His title is innovation leader. Sounds awesome I know. That is why I am going to go meet with him. I want to find out what he does on a daily basis and how I can apply it to youth ministry. I am really looking forward to this meeting. I would love to have this title in youth ministry at a church. It has to do with everything from how to implement technology into youth ministry, to how to make small groups better, how to get video to our students easier. My main passion for this is because as a church we always seem to be 2 steps behind what the world is doing. We always seem to copy the worldly things. I want to do some things so far outside the box that the world will want to copy what we are doing for the youth culture. I will definately let you know how this meeting goes with a post later tonight summarizing it. It should be amazing.

SNYDER

Doing the shuffle

I just got tagged by Kurt to list the first 15 songs on my iPod when I hit shuffle. Here we go.
1. For Reasons Unknown: The Killers
2. Staring At the Sun: U2
3. Ultra Violet(Light My Way): U2
4. The Sharing Song: Jack Johnson
5. Yahweh: U2
6. Closer: Charlie Hall
7. Wasteland: Augustana
8. Til Kingdom Come: Coldplay
9. On A Night Like This: Dave Barnes
10. Accidentally In Love: Counting Crows
11. Inside Your Heaven: Carrie Underwood
12. Where the Streets have no Names: U2
13. My Own Two Hands: Ben Harper & Jack Johnson
14. I'm Waiting: The All-American Rejects
15. Thinking of Someone Else: Spymob

That was fun. Now I am going to tag my wife and Allison Murray

Just another great video

Enjoy, a great video that some of my friends voiced over. nice job jake and todd
SNYDER

Summer Camp

Summer camp was amaizing. I did not have a chance to post some updates while there, but I will recap it now. We took about 215 students 6th through 12th grade. We were there for 5 days and 4 nights. We did all of the programming and rec. We essentially did everything. Which like I said in an earlier post was new to me. We titled it "Snapshot". We had 3 messages during the week. The first night was on Who I was, the second night was on who I am now, at this moment, which is no longer now. It was an interesting talk. The last night was on who I am becoming. We played off the idea of a camera. How you are in the dark, unexposed, then you see the light, get exposed and then have to be devoloped. The whole idea was awesome and it would be an incredible 3 or 4 week series for your ministry. If you have any questions about it I would love to answer your questions.

SNYDER

Gearing up

Summer Camp is just around the corner for us. We leave in 2 days and are hustling to be ready. Our printer has been broken since Thursday so that is fun. WE will be gone for 5 days. It is suppose to be really hot, but it will be fun. We have over 200 students going which is like 90% of our students who come on a regular basis. We are progrmming and running he camp ourselves. They loved last years camp, so hopefully this one is 10 times better. I will fill you on more later.

SNYDER

Summer Camp

We are in full swing in getting ready for summer camp, and I realize that when it comes to planning a summer camp I have no idea what is going on. At Saddleback we went to a camp that did all the programming for us and ran everything. Where I am now at Journey we do it all. I am learning how to do this, but it has been a challenge. What are some Pro's and Con's of doing camps these 2 different ways?

SNYDER

Plugged in

We now have internet and television in our new home. It is so great. I really didn't mind not having internet, but I was missing TV. I had no idea what was going on in the world which may have been a good thing. I will be blogging more now that I can do i from home.

SNYDER

Youth Ministry in 2 totally different places

Being that I have lived and done ministry in both California and Oklahoma I have noticed some differences. I will be writing about those in the next few posts.
Oklahoma - Bible Belt
California - NOT in the Bible Belt

Being in the Bible belt and doing ministry is so much different than doing it in California. Students in the Bible Belt have the theological knowledge, and can talk the talk , but don't walk the walk.
In California they are more likely to be totally on fire for God and if they aren't they aren't afraid to tell you. It's a different world and it is a world that I am having to get use to.
The way you do ministry is differet. In the Bible Belt you have to minister to the students and people who have been around the Bible and kno, but don't necesarily live it. In Cali, they have to learn the Bible and then make up their minds whether or not they will follow Christ. I know this is kind of rambling and just a thought and my opinion from my experiences and may not be the same as some of what you have experienced but it is worth thinking about.

SNYDER

10 days...

....until I marry the most wonderful woman in the world. We are getting married May 4th in Aliso Viejo, California. For hose of you who don't know, I met her while I was an intern at Saddleback Church. We dated for a about a year and a half before we got engaged. She is originally form southern California. How I got her to move to Oklahoma is a great question. Anyways, I can't wait.

SNYDER

Seriously

'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' wins $25,000
NEW YORK (AP) -- OMG!

Thirteen-year-old Morgan Pozgar, of Claysburg, Pennsylvania, was crowned LG National Texting champion on Saturday after she typed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from "Mary Poppins" in 15 seconds.

"I'm going to go shopping and buy lots of clothes," the teen said after winning her $25,000 prize from the electronics company LG.

Morgan defeated nearly 200 other competitors at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan to become East Coast champion and then beat West Coast champion Eli Tirosh, 21, of Los Angeles, California.

She estimated that she sends more than 8,000 text messages a month to her friends and family.

Youth Ministry

So, I said I would post about my journey in youth ministry. I have been on the job as a junior high director for almost 3 months now. Let me tell you, it's a harder than I thought it would be, but it is so fun. Anyways, we are trying to figure out our small groups. We want our students to serve in the community once a month with their small group and then meet 3 other times a month for normal Bible study. I figure its time we start showing people what it is like to be a Christ Follower and not just tell people.

SNYDER

home renovation

So, I bought a house and it needed a little fixing up. A little turned in to a lot. Luckily it's not expensive just a lot of work. Scraping the ceilings and wall paper in just about every room. Good exercise, but not fun. The house is a mess, but it will look brand new when I am finished in the next week or so. It also has to be textured and I am still debating whether to have someone come do it or do it myself. What would you suggest? If you have textured before please let me know.

SNYDER

I'm Back

After a little blogging break I am back. I went to Mexico for a week. I came back for 3 days and then I went to California for 5 days. Let me just say that I never thought I would miss California when I first moved out there. I miss it a lot. Now that you know where I have been, over the next week I will share my journey of my first couple of months on the new job.

SNYDER

i apologize

I am so sorry. I have been out of the country all week. I will be posting again.

SNYDER

New house

I am officially an adult now and a homeowner. mariah and I bought a house. We close on April 5th. the day after my birthday. It is so crazy that I can buy a house in OK, and my mortgage is less than renting a 1 bedroom apartment in Cali. Hopefully I will have some pics ina few weeks. I leave for Mexico for a week on Sat.

SNYDER

crazy week

My fantastic fiance, Mariah, and my friend James were in town. It was great to see them both. May 4th is the big day. It can't get here soon enough. We did a lot this week. The few highlights were my nieces 5th birthday, the Big XII basketball tournament was in OKC for the first time ever. Oh yeah, and we bought a house. Very busy, but very awesome week. More info later.

SNYDER

What a great busy week: Here We Go

Monday: Putting my talk together for Wedneday night. It's my first time to speak at the new job
My fiance, Mariah, and one of my buddies, James, are coming to visit to day. It is also Mariah's birthday today.
Tuesday: Work. Father/Daughter date night at the mall. Mother/Son date night at the bowling alley
Wednesday: We start our series called "Words". The first week we will be covering the word disciple. It should be great. It is also my Nieces Birthday

Thursday: Work. The first day of the Big XII basketball tournament.
Friday: 2nd Day of Big XII basketball tourney. Also, neice's birthday.
Saturday: Mariah and James leave. Mexico meeting from 10 to noon. More Big XII tourney

As you can see it will be busy, but it will be awesome.

SNYDER

Wednesday

Wednesday's are crazy, but fun. I have 2 meetings this morning and tonight we have our junior high and high school experiences. This is the last week of our Chemistry series. The first week we talked about finding the ONE (Christ), the second week we talked about what to look for in the TWO (boyfriend or girlfriend). This week is about purity. It should be pretty great.

SNYDER

Facing the Facts

Last night we had an "Experience for Parents". The night was dedicated to informing parents about tenns and sex. We had about 40 parents there. The main goal was to inform parents. We gave lots of stats about teens and sex, had a video of some of our leaders talking about how important their parents interaction was with them. We didn't want to tell parents how to parent, but we challenged them to keep their children accountable. We had a lot of parents telling us they wanted us to do it again so they could tell more parents about it. So hopefully it will be even better next time.

SNYDER

Our engagement

So, I am getting married on May 4th to Mariah Miles. She is an unbelievable woman. I am so blessed to have her in my life. We got engaged in November. Here are some of the pics form the glorious day. I will put some of our engagement pics on here also.

SNYDER

Man Law 5 of 5 - Tunes in the car

This is the last of the Man Laws we did. All 5 are on here. Enjoy. Hopefully I will have some more videos in the future.



SNYDER

Man Law - Multitasking

This is the 4th in a series of 5 Man Laws we did for big church. This one is on multitasking. Enjoy!



SNYDER

Another Man Law

This is the 3rd of 5 man law videos we did for big church.



SNYDER

Last Night

Last Night was great. It was 100 times better than last week. We had a hilarious game on video called sink or float. It was like 10 minutes and just funny. I will try to put it on here as soon as I can. We are in the middle of our series called Chemistry. Last night the message was over the Song of Solomon. Over all it was awesome. I know will just continue to get better and better.

SNYDER

Another man law

This is the second of 5. I will post one a day until there are no more.



SNYDER

Very Busy Day

Wednedsay's are crazy, but awesome.
9:00am - Intern Meeting. It's weird to go from being an intern to leading an intern meeting
10:00am - Student Minstries Staff Meeting
1:30pm - Lunch with a leader
4:00pm - Run through the program tonight
5:00pm - Set up room and get things ready for 6:30pm experience
6:00pm - Meeting with leaders and prayer over night
6:15pm - open doors for students
6:30pm - Experience starts
8:30pm - Experience ends
Then we start tearing down, because the room we meet in is not just for Student Ministries
10:00pm - Head Home
As you can see it is a very busy day, but as always I find enough energy to make through. Tomorrow I will post about how it went.

SNYDER

Man Law

We did 5 of these for big church. I think they are pretty funny, let me know what you think.



SNYDER

WOW

So I have been here almost 3 weeks now. By here, I mean on my new job at Journey Church in Norman, Oklahoma. It has been a tough adjustment. I really miss California. I never thought I would say that, but it is true. Anyways, Oklahoma is wherer I am now. It is definately a lot different than Saddleback. I do have a team, but its just different. We have our experiences on Wednesday nights instead of the weekends. And our small groups meet on Sunday nights. Also, we have Friday's off instead of Monday's. I have a lot of getting used to. Our Wednesday night experience is not where it should be, so for now that is my focus. Making Wednesday night the best I can and building into our volunteers. One thing that is pretty sweet is that I am given $50 bucks a week to take students or volunteers out to lunch. Anyways, that is what I have for now. Oh yeah, I also received my first paycheck after nearly 2 1/2 years. It felt pretty good, but the government sure gets a lot of it. Oh well, nothing I can do about that. Whoever reads this I truly do love you all. I will try to udate this more now that I am getting in a routine.

SNYDER

Day 2 of the new blog

I was thinking today of how crazy God's love is for us. I can't even wrap my mind around God's love. It's unlike any other love
I know of. Does God have a choice to love? I think so, and being that He does it makes it even harder for me to understand how he can love me. Just a thought.

SNYDER

My new blog

Well my journey at Saddleback Church is officially over. I will be starting my new journey in Norman, OK. I have accepted a job to be the Director of Junior High Ministries at Journey Church. This is very exciting and crazy. I hope to be posting on here about my new job and what I am learning and many other things.

SNYDER